Regional Sports Council Proposed

MIAMI - — - Political leaders from three South Florida counties will consider pooling resources to lure the Super Bowl and other major sporting events to the region.

Officials from Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, who met on Monday for only the second time in 12 years, voted unanimously to consider forming a nonprofit South Florida Sports Council.

Miami construction executive Hank Adorno, who pitched the idea, has 90 days to develop a proposal. The next meeting will be in January.

The proposal drew support from Miami-Dade and Broward leaders but provoked criticism from Palm Beach County officials, who worried few of the sporting events would end up in their county.

The council would be a nonprofit group modeled after the Super Bowl Committee and aimed at attracting the region's fourth Super Bowl and other events, including horse racing's Breeder's Cup, the NCAA Final Four basketball championship and baseball's All-Star game.

Palm Beach County officials wondered how their constituents would benefit from the Breeder's Cup or the Final Four, which more than likely would be held in Broward or Miami-Dade venues.

"We're too far north to benefit from most of these events," Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said.

Adorno, who is executive vice president of Miami-based MasTec, argued that South Florida stands to lose out in the bidding for major sporting events unless it makes a three-county effort.

Adorno said the competition comes not only from other major metro areas across the country -- such as Atlanta or San Francisco -- but also from Florida cities such as Orlando, Jacksonville and Tampa-St. Petersburg.